A strainer in the plumbing field is the threaded fitting in the bottom of a sink, bathtub, or the like through which waste water flows from the receptacle. Strainers usually have valves or the like which control the gravity flow of water therethrough. All of these valve assemblies are threadably mounted within a threaded aperture located in the strainer.
Typically, existing strainers are of one-piece construction and have a flange which engages the bottom of the tub and a downwardly extending threaded sleeve which threads onto a fitting adjacent a vertically disposed aperture in the bottom of the water receptacle. The entire strainer is often made of chrome or the like which is a relatively expensive material. It is also difficult to machine such a one-piece device to provide threads in places for its attachment to other components in the drain assembly.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a strainer which is very economical from both a material point of view and from a fabrication point of view.
A further object of the invention is to provide a strainer which can be easily converted from a pivoted disk-type closure to a vertically moveable closure of the type of U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,368.
More specifically, it is a further object of this invention to provide a strainer comprised of two pieces wherein the strainer assembly is comprised of two components, namely, a flange to engage the surface around the discharge aperture in the bathtub, and a strainer extension which is threadably secured thereto, and wherein the flange is comprised of a chrome plated material and the strainer extension is comprised of brass or a more economical material.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a strainer which has a valve therein which is easily installed, operated, and which is durable in use.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.